by Ramie Arian
In the midst of the recent Jewish Agency board meetings, a small but significant policy shift was announced, one that was barely reported in the media, but which may produce a significant change in the way in which young American Jews experience Israel.
This news was the announcement of a grant of $1 million to Lapid, to complement Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) support of Birthright and MASA, in order to determine how to structure what will eventually be a program budgeted at $20 million per year.
Lapid?
Given that most folks have never heard of Lapid, and given that $1 million is a very small grant in the context of JAFI’s budget, it is hardly surprising that the story garnered little notice. So, what’s it about, and why might it be important? Here’s the background.
Until the advent of Birthright, a decade and more ago, the most common way for a young American to visit Israel was during the high school years, on an educational teen tour sponsored by one of the long-standing Jewish youth movements or organizations. Such tours were (and continue to be) sponsored by the youth affiliates of the major synagogue movements, like USY (Conservative), NFTY (Reform), and NCSY (Orthodox), and by the Zionist youth movements like Young Judaea and Habonim Dror, among other sponsors. Most were summer programs of 5 weeks’ duration or more, though some – notably those sponsored by the Alexander Muss High School in Israel – took place as well during the school year. Prior to the era of Birthright, some of these were relatively large operations: in 1999, NFTY and Young Judaea each boasted 1200-1500 summer Israel participants.
The sponsors of these programs worried that competition from Birthright would decimate registration for their summer tours. Birthright’s sponsors assured them in the early years that Birthright’s intent was not to eclipse these longer programs, which had the luxury of providing a fuller, deeper experience of Israel (they were, after all, 5 weeks or more in duration, compared to Birthright’s 10 days), but rather to catch “stragglers” who had missed the opportunity to visit Israel during the high school years. Yet the fears of the high school trip sponsors proved well-founded. Registration for high school programs in Israel collapsed during the Second Intifada, and with Birthright newly in the marketplace, it did not recover when the Intifada ended.
Today, registration for the summer high school programs of most trip sponsors stands at only 25-35% of what it was before Birthright was created.
The high school trip sponsors are not surprised. Birthright is, after all, a totally subsidized program, paid for by the Jewish Agency (funded by Federation contributions), the Government of Israel, and a consortium of private philanthropists. Birthright programs are totally free to participants. MASA, the umbrella which partially subsidizes tuition for long-term (semester-length or longer) Israel programs, is similarly funded. It is difficult today for parents of a 16-year-old to justify paying the tuition – more than $5,000 – for a summer high school program in Israel for their daughter, when they know that they could wait two years, and send her on Birthright for free. Even though Birthright is a much shorter, presumably more superficial experience of Israel, the lure of “free” in the marketplace is hard to beat.
Enter Lapid. In 2008, the sponsors of many high school Israel programs formed a consortium with the purpose of gaining for their programs the same recognition and level of support from the central agencies of the Jewish people – JAFI and the Government of Israel – that Birthright and MASA enjoy. Lapid today has 27 member organizations, including both non-profit and for-profit sponsors of high school trips to Israel.
With last month’s announcement of JAFI funding for Lapid, a large first step has been taken in accomplishing the organizers’ goal. While the guidelines have not yet been worked out, it appears that the new program will partially level the playing field, by providing (when the program is eventually fully operational) a subsidy of $1,000 per participant, which should be passed along by the trip organizers to participants and their parents, in the form of lower tuition for their programs.
Lapid members expect that these newly lower tuitions will energize demand for their high school programs. Their goal is to increase registration for longer, high school programs by almost 50% within a few years, from its current aggregate level of 14,000 participants per year to 20,000.
Last month’s announcement represents a major accomplishment for Lapid. Should its goals be achieved, it will be a major step in restoring high school programs as one of the most important ways available for young people to have a serious, in-depth, first experience of Israel.
Ramie Arian is a consultant who works with agencies concerned with building Jewish identity and commitment, such as Israel trip sponsors, Jewish summer camps and youth movements. Email ramie.arian@gmail.com.
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In a research report commissioned by the Jewish Agency in 2008, which I co-authored with Minna Wolf and Stephen Markowitz we came to a different conclusion than the author of this article. That report can be found at: http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=4098 .
Birthright is not “the problem” the author makes it out to be and providing an across the board $1000 subsidy per participant will not solve the problem of declining numbers.
The High School programs are very different from post-High School Israel programming like that offered by MASA and Birthright. The vast majority of High School participants on Israel programs do not come by themselves; most are sent to Israel through institutions to which their families affiliate. The kids come because their high school class, youth movement or camp is arranging the trip and their families want them to come. The first challenge is to get Diaspora organizations to send their children. When organizations and families prioritize the Israel trip, numbers will increase.
The second challenge is funding. The unique nature of the High School programs is found in its “bottom-up” funding structure. Instead of a top down funding structure provided by MASA and Birthright, fundraising for the High School Israel trip is a joint effort between the sending organization, its community and families sending their children. High School trips enjoy funding coalitions, involving Federation, educational institutions, their lay leadership and participating families. At some Federations there are Israel travel savings programs for parents and funds for subsidizing Israel travel. In most cases, the family and sending organization want a more intensive experience than what Birthright provides, and they want it done in High School rather than waiting for college. They will invest their time and money to make it happen.
In short, LAPID needs to use Israeli government funding to encourage more organizations (not individuals) to send their members, and to help them build community support and funding for the effort. A straight forward per head subsidy will not achieve that aim and in fact could, in the worst case scenario, do damage by undermining the motivation of communities who already fundraise for their Israel trips, to stop doing so.
Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz, Research Success Technologies.
As a parent of a high schooler who left for Israel yesterday to go on the Nesiya program, Birthright is an issue. I have had several parents and friends come up to me and ask “Why don’t you just wait for Birthright?”
While high schoolers who go with their camps and day schools are not impacted by Birthright, many others are. These are the vast majority of people who fall somewhere between the ‘very involved’ and “the totally unaffiliated”…people who are proud of being Jewish and want their kids to be Jewish. Greater financial subsidies for high school trip would have AN ENORMOUS impact on enrollment as would more creative Israel programs that weren’t so focused on ‘denominations.”
Having worked with Israel programs from Israel and the United States over the years,and having played an active role in different youth organizations, It is my feeling that the Jewish community at large (outside of Israel) should remember that an Israel experience is one that is very important for our youth.
Although many fear today that promoting an Israel program can be misunderstood as a push for Aliyah, in reality, it is more a desire to share a history that is rich in culture and customs. It is an opportunity for our youth to be exposed to over four thousand years of history. An opportunity for our youth to connect with a land and people that belongs to them. A great opportunity for our youth to make life lasting friends. It is a starting block from which many of our community leaders today found an internal strength and desire to make a difference in their communities around the world.
For many of our youth, the Israel experience is one of the most significant events of their lives. They are challenged to open both their eyes and their hearts and for the first time wonder where their place is or will be in the future.
There is such a vast number of wonderful Israel programs that are available to our youth, however in this economy, affording this opportunity for many is simply out of reach. Birthright is one such program that makes it possible for many that otherwise would not make it to Israel,and who can ever argue with the price of this program…free.
The real question is why hold this opportunity to only one program. A simple universal voucher for organized Israel programs, would make this opportunity available to our youth, whether it be high school or college age.
When I came up with the name Lapid, I thought to myself that our youth, regardless of reform, conservative, orthodox are like a torch (lapid) that with the right direction and energy will lead us like a bright light to a better future. The heads of all organizations, together with the guidance and direction of the Jewish Agency in Israel need to work together to assure that every Jewish family feels that it is a right of passage to offer an opportunity for their children, our future, to have at least one life lasting Israel experience.
I once read in a survey that many that have visited Israel once will visit again. Lets work together on making the first time happen!